Metal tie and rail fastener.



No 863,458. PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. J. I. SHAW.

METAL TIE AND RAIL FASTENER. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 23, 1907.

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A TTOR/VE 1 5 UNITED STATES UFFIGE.

JOHN I. SHAW, OF NOVINGER, MlSSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WESLEYHUFF, OF

' NOVINGER, MISSOURI.

METAL TIE AND RAIL FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed May 28,1907. Serial No. 376,144.

To all whomv it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN I. SHAW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Novinger, in the county of Adair and State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Metallic Tie and Rail Fastener, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in devices employed in themounting of railway rails, and it has for its object to provide animproved tie that may be manufactured cheaply of suitable metal and thatis capable of withstanding the effects of the weather and also thestrains due to passing trains, and another object of the invention is toprovide devices for fastening the rails in position on the tie wherebythe use of fish plates, and bolts and spikes that are liable to loosen,is obviated, and the rails are effectually secured to the tie so as toprevent vertical as well as lateral movement between the parts.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novelfeatures of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out particularly inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway tieequipped with rail fastening devices constructed in accordance with thepresent invention. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section through thetie and the fastening device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross sectionon the line 33 of Fig. 2, the locking wedge being removed. Fig. 4represents a cross section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, the rail beingremoved.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

The rail fasteners are shown in the present embodiment of the inventionas applied to a metallic tie which may be either cast or constructed ofrolled stock, the tie shown in the drawings being composed of cast metalof substantially channel form and embodying a bed 1 which issubstantially flat and forms a support for the rails and having theparallel longitudinal flanges 2 and 3, the latter being connected attheir ends by transversely extending webs 4 and 5. Ordinarily, both endsof the tie will be formed alike to receive similar rail fasteningdevices, but in the present instance a tie is shown that is adapted tobe employed at the joint of two adjacent rails, the rail fasteningdevices in this iiistance serving not only to secure the rails to thetie, but also to rigidly maintain them in alinement, taking the place offish plates that are usually employed for the latter purpose. Thefastening devices that are adapted to cooperate with those portions ofthe rail between its ends are shown at the left hand side in Figs. 1 and2, the tie being provided with a pair of transversely extendingabutments 6 and 7 suitably spaced longitudinally of the tie, arelatively large opening 8 being provided adjacent to one of theabutments, the abutment 6, in the present instance, and a narrower orreduced slot 9 extending from the said opening and toward the otherabutment, the abutment 7 in the present instance, a pair of parallelguides 10 and 11 being thereby formed at opposite sides of the slotwhich extend longitudinally of the tie.

The rail is adapted to rest directly on the top of the tie, as shown inFig. 2, and arranged at one side of the rail is a locking member 12which is recessed at 13 to accommodate one half of the base flange ofthe rail, and is provided with a depending lug l l which has a reducedportion 15 adapted to operate between the iongitudinal guides of thetie, the enlargements above and below the reduced portion cooperatingwith the upper and lower sides of the top portion of the tie and therebyoperating to prevent vertical displacement of the locking member. Thelatter is adapted to rest against the abutment 7 as a stop for retainingit in cooperative relation witlrthe rail, and a similar locking member16 is arranged at the opposite side of the rail, it being provided witha recess 17 to cooperate with the base flange at that side of the rail,and having a depending lug 18 provided with a reduced portion 1.)adapted to fit into the slot formed between the longitudinal guides 10and 11. of the tie, a relative movement of the two locking members in adirection longitudinally of the guides serving to lock and unlock therail relatively to the tie.

Any suitable means may be employedifor securing the locking members incooperative relation to the rail, the device shown in the presentinstance comprising a wedge 20 engaging the abutment 6 at its outer sideand having an offset inclined portion 21 engaging behind the lockingmember 16, a cross piece 22 being preferably provided to confine thelower end of the wedge between it and the abutment 6. It is alsopreferable to employ a suitable device for retaining the wedge inoperative position, the device shown in the present instance foraccomplishing this purpose com prising a set screw 23 threaded throughone or both of the flanges of the tie and engaging the wedge to retainit within the opening 8 in the tie.

The opposite end of the tie, which, in the present instance, is adaptedto receive the fastening devices which serve to join adjacent rails aswell as to secure them to the tie, is provided with a vertical slot 24having transversely extending abutments 25 and 26 at its ends, and intothis slot are adapted to fit shanks 27 and 28 held by the lockingmembers 29 and 30, respectively, the latter being preferably of a lengthapproximately equal to the length of the ordinary fish plates, and theyare formed relatively large above the surface of the tie in order thatthey may obtain a relatively larger bearing'surface. The proximate facesof these locking members are provided with longitudinally extendingrecesses 31 and 32 to receive the base flange of the rail, thelongitudinally extending ribs 33 and 34 below the recesses engagingbeneath the base flange and between the latter and the top of the tie toform an extensive bearing that will maintain the rail ends in alinementand prevent their sagging after they have been in service for some time,the portions of the locking members above the flange receiving recessesbeing arranged to engage the rail between the base flange and the headthereof, preferably in a manner similar to the ordinary fish plate. Theproximate faces of the shanks 27 and 28 of the respective lockingmembers are provided with the complementary recesses 35 and 36 which arearranged to register with openings 37 and 38 formed in the longitudinalflanges of the tie, a wedge 39 being adapted to pass through theopenings in the tie and the recesses in the shanks, and operates to drawthe upper portions of the locking members into cooperative relation withthe top of the tie. It is preferable to provide a suitable device forretaining this wedge in place, a pin 40 being employed for this purposein the present instance. If so desired, a relatively fixed part of thetie may serve the purpose of this wedge. The locking members are held incooperative relation with the rail by means of a wedge 41 which has aninclined surface 42 cooperating with the adjacent locking member 29, andit is interposed between the latter and the abutment 25, a set screw orother appropriate device 43 being preferably provided for retaining itin position from one or both sides of the tie.

In equipping railroads with a complete set of ties constructed inaccordance with the present invention, those ties that are placed atpoints other than at the rail joints are preferably provided with thelocking members 12 and 16 at both ends, the tie shown in the presentinstance being especially adapted for use at those points where therails join, and if so desired the gripping action of the locking memberson the rails may be supplemented by passing the usual bolts through thelocking members and through the usual bolt holes in the rail ends, butordinarily the clamping action is suflicient.

Rail fastening devices constructed in accordance with the presentinvention may be applied to ties other than that shown, and they arecapable of being readily applied and removed, and in use they serve toeffectually lock the rails in cooperative relation with the tie,

What is claimed is -1. The combination with a tie or other suitablesupport having a pair of relatively fixed abutments thereon, and a pairof substantially parallel guides extending between them, of a pair ofcooperatively arranged rail locking members adjustable relatively in adirection longitudinally of the guides, and a device for retaining themembers in coiiperative relation with the rail.

2. The combination with a tie having a pair of transversely arrangedabutments and provided with a pair of guides extending between them, arelatively large opening being formed at the ends of the guides andadjacent to one of the abutinents, of a pair of rail locking membershaving-portions recessed to engage the base flange of a rail, and havingreduced portions adapted to fit between the guides, one of the membersengaging one of the abutments, and a wedge interposed between the othermember and the adjacent abutment for locking the members in cooperativerelation with the rail.

3. The combination with a tie having a pair of abutments spacedlongitudinally thereof and having a relatively large opening in itsupper side adjacent one of the abutments, and having a narrow slotextending from the said opening toward the other abutment and forming apair of longitudinally extending guides, of a pair of rail lockingmembers having recessed portions arranged above the tie and coiipcratingwith the base flange of the rail, and having depending lugs providedwith reduced portions resting in the said slot, a wedge fitting into thesaid opening in the tie between one of the locking members and itsadjacent abin-ment for proximating the locking members and retainingthem in cooperative relation with the rail, and a cross piece extendingtransversely across the lower portion of the tie and confining the lowerend of the wedge between it and its coiiperating abutment.

-l. The combination with a tie having a pair of longitudinally spacedabutments thereon, of a pair of locking members having coiiperativelyarranged rail receiving portions, means for preventing a relativelateral movement of the members and the tie, and a device forcompressing the members between the said abutments.

5. The combination with a railway tie having a slot formed at one endand provided with a pair of trans versely arranged abutments, of a pairof rail locking members having rail receiving portions arranged abovethe tie and provided with shanks engaging in the said slot, a wedgeinterposed between one of the abutments and the adjacent locking memberfor compressing the members between the abutments, and a device forpreventing a relative vertical movement between the members and the tie.

b. The combination with a tie composed of metal cornprising a baseportion and a pair of longitudinal flanges, and a pair of abutmentsextending transversely between the flanges. a slot being formed in thebase of the tie between the abutments, and the flanges being providedwith registering apertures, of a pair of rail locking members havingcooperatively arranged rail receiving surfaces above the base of the tieand having shanks resting in the said slot, the proximate faces of theshanks being provided with complementary recesses, a wedge interposedbetween one oi the abutments and the adjacent locking member, and asecond wedge passing through the apertures of the tie flanges andcoiipcr'ating with the'recesses in the shanks of the locking members.

7. The combination with a tie or other suitable support having a slotextending longitudinally thereof and provided with a pair oftransversely arranged abutments, of a pair of rail locking membershaving coiipcratively arranged recesses formed in their proximate facesto receive the base llange of the rail and forming a pair of railsupporting ribs engaging beneath the flange, and means for lock ingsaidmembers in cooperative relation with the rail.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN I. SHAW.

Witnesses FRED F. Simw, Joirx I l. FUGATE.

